This course introduces major world religions and the scholarly methods of the academic study of religion. Religions covered may include Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and/or New Religious Movements.

Religion, Health, and Medicine introduces students to how people’s religious beliefs and practices influence their perspectives on health and their approaches to medical care and treatment.

Provides an academic overview of major religious traditions of Asia (mainly India, China, and Japan), which may include Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto, and/or Shamanism as well as popular, tribal, or new religions. Students will be assigned both primary and secondary texts.

This is a survey course that will cover major religious traditions of the West, including the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and other religious systems. The course will focus on how each tradition has developed historically and how it exists in the world today.

An introduction to the origin and development of mystical aspects of Islam, commonly known as Sufism. The course examines themes such as Sufism vis-à-vis Islamic orthodoxy, mystical experience, the literary heritage of Sufism, Sufi organizations.

A historical survey of Buddhist practices, beliefs, material culture, institutions, and figures from the time of the historical Buddha through to the contemporary period.

This course examines Hindu scriptures and practices to understand how deities and their relationships with men and women, high and low castes, and the natural and social worlds have changed over time.

Studies in major religious figures or movements. Topic varies.

An introduction exploring relationships between the literary and religious traditions. {Fall}

An examination and critique of influential 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century scientific attempts to explain religion in contrast to supernaturalist theories. Also considered are some postmodernist and evolutionary psychology perspectives on religion. Prerequisite: one upper-division course in Religious Studies.

Faculty-supervised individual study in an area of special interest not readily available through conventional course offerings. Restriction: permission of program chairperson.

Tutorial arrangement with a member of the graduate faculty.